patch

[+material]pièce f→ I mended the sheets by sewing on square patches.→ He wore a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches.He wore a black patch over one eye.Il avait un bandeau noir sur l'œil.a patch of materialune pièce de tissu

(=small area)
[+land]parcelle f→ a stony patch of wasteland in the centre of Kabul
[+grass]carré m→ a small patch of grassa damp patchune tache d'humidité→ the damp patch at the corner of the ceilinga bare patch(on lawn)
un endroit dégarni→ We now have lots of unsightly bare patches on the lawn.bald patch, He's got a bald patch.Il a le crâne dégarni.→
vegetable patch

(=stain)tache f→ Kelly could see the dark patches of sweat growing on his light-blue shirt.

(British)
(=time)a bad patchune période difficileto go through a bad patchtraverser une période difficile→ I went through a bad patch a few years ago: I lost my job and then my wife left me.to have a rough patchavoir une mauvaise passe

to be not a patch on sb(British)*
(=much less good than)ne pas arriver à la cheville de qn→ Handsome, she thought, but not a patch on Alex.to be not a patch on sth(British)*
(=much less good than)être loin de valoir qch

vt

(=mend)[+clothes]rapiécer→ She earned money by patching and selling old clothes.

(=repair)réparer→ He and Walker patched the barn roof.

eye-patchnbandeau m

nicotine patchntimbre m à la nicotine

▲
patch upvt sep

(=mend)réparer→ We can patch up the holes.→ He got the tyre patched up.

[+relationship, marriage]sauver→ She's gone on holiday with her husband to try and patch up their marriage.→ The couple face a stark choice - divorce and make a clean break or patch up their relationship, in public at least.to patch up a quarrelse réconcilier→ Mr Lewis and Mr Brown patched up their quarrel.

purple patch, purple passagenétat m de grâceShe's enjoying a purple patch at the moment.Elle est en état de grâce en ce moment.→ They hit a purple patch at the start of the second half.